I cross the U.S.-Mexico border 12 to 15 times a year. We enter the seventh busiest port of entry.
About 2.9 million annually cross on foot, and 4.8 million drive across the border.
With all the furor about the need to “secure the border,” we have yet to see any changes, such as enhanced inspections or more federal agents.
Several miles to the south, however, Mexican soldiers are often posted at a highway checkpoint. They monitor southbound and northbound traffic. Sometimes semi-trailer trucks bound for the U.S. wait in lines that can stretch for a mile or more.
American officials at the port of entry typically look young and bored. It takes at least an hour to reach the booth where agents are posted. We’re asked if we have anything to declare. We never do, and the agents wave us through. Encounters last a minute or less.
On foot, it’s essentially the same routine. I’m not complaining, just comparing the facts on the ground to the hype.
Ricardo Chavira Chicano 